


Bah Humbug

by Starbird



Series: Bah Humbug [1]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Romantic Comedy, Cassian is SO AWKWARD, Cassian is So Jaded, Cheap Shots at Daniel Tiger, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Corny jokes, Denial of Feelings, Eventual Smut, F/M, First Time, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Jyn is Sassy AF and Cassian is a Little Sad and Desperate, Kay the Cockblocker, Mutual Pining, Rating to Change, Sexual innuendos, Slow Burn, angst-free!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-07 17:13:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16858033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starbird/pseuds/Starbird
Summary: Cassian is jaded by past failed relationships and thinks he’ll never find love. Then he meets computer whiz Jyn through his grouchy roommate Kay, and she slowly pulls him out of his hardened shell.





	1. The Project Partner

**Author's Note:**

> I've got a TON going on this holiday season, my lovelies, so I cannot promise regular updates. But I DO plan to finish this BEFORE Christmas, so that's...sorta regular, at least? I'm also taking prompts for this 'verse over at my [blog](https://thestarbirdfromtheashes.tumblr.com/ask), so I'll be busy with those, too.
> 
>    
>  _It's the most wonderful time of the year!!_

It wasn’t that Cassian Andor didn’t believe in love. He just didn’t believe in love for _him_. He never knew where things went wrong, either. This last one had seemed so _good_ , and then all of a sudden…it wasn’t. Lainey cheated on him. With Brody. The guy in her estate law class who wore boat shoes and Nantucket Reds. The weirdest thing was, Cassian and Lainey weren’t even having problems. Other than the fact that she couldn’t stand his know-it-all roommate Kay Tuesso (no one could), he’d thought things were great. They had a lot in common, they thought the same things were funny, and they had great sex. But then she’d gone and screwed Brody Mathison.

“Cheer up, Cassian,” Kay said as Cassian sat slumped on their beat-up Goodwill sofa, his fourth longneck beer in his hand. “Humans aren’t naturally monogamous.”

“I’m naturally gamogafous,” Cassian muttered.

“You’re drunk, and I’m having a girl over. I would appreciate it if you would take your stupor and your drama to your bedroom.”

Cassian’s eyes widened. “Holy balls of flame,” he said. “You’re having a _girl_ over?”

“Yes,” Kay replied, dusting off the keyboard of his laptop with his hand. “It’s for our final project. She’s in my cohort and I have unfortunately been assigned to her. The professor did not understand or take into regard my pleas to work on it alone. We’ve done as much of the project alone as we can, but we need to work together for this last part before we turn it in at the end of the semester next week.”

“When is she coming?” Cassian sputtered, right as a knock sounded on the door.

“About now,” Kay replied. He raised his voice. “You may enter.”

The door of the apartment opened, and in walk a girl a good head shorter than Cassian, with big eyes and dark brown hair. She was bundled up tight, cheeks pink, but smiling.

“You don’t answer your own door, Kay?” she asked.

“I didn’t see any need to,” he said. “I was sitting. You were already standing.”

She chuckled and lifted her messenger bag off over her head. “Who’s your roommate? He looks like he’s having a rough go of it.”

“Oh, he is,” Kay said, as Cassian started to introduce himself. “His girlfriend of seven months was fornicating with another man for the past three weeks.”

“Oh, dear,” the girl said, cheeks coloring further. She averted her eyes, and so did Cassian, so aware of how he must look right now. He was wearing an old college shirt, pajama pants he’d had since he was fifteen that his mom had gotten on clearance at Target that had Pikachu and Poké Balls on them, and his hair was sticking up everywhere because he hadn’t bothered to shower today or even yesterday. He was scruffy and unkempt and smelled like beer (good beer, but still beer) and _ugh_.

“Happens to the best of us, I suppose,” the girl added as she began unbuttoning her coat. “Cold out there.”

“Enough with the small talk,” Kay said. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Kay,” Cassian admonished.

“Oh, am I being rude again? Pardon me. This is Cassian Andor. He is very depressed and moody right now, and he has not bathed. He makes a terrible boyfriend and thinks love is for losers. Cassian, this is Jyn Erso. She is very intelligent and sleeps with good-looking boys who are also very intelligent. She prefers scientists.”

The girl, Jyn, flared bright pink as her eyes widened, and she pursed her lips. “Thank you, Kay,” she said. “Or should I call you ‘stalker’?”

Kay shrugged and typed on his computer. “I needed to determine if you would be a good partner for this project, as my achieving all perfect marks is critical to my opinion of myself. Thus I have watched you from afar, and sometimes near.”

Cassian stepped up to Jyn and took her coat from her, turning to hang it on an open hook. “I’m guessing you’re already used to his rudeness, but I’ll excuse it anyway because it’s happening in front of me. Can I get you something to drink?”

“Cassian has claimed all the alcohol for the night,” Kay put in.

“Water is fine,” Jyn said. “Though I wouldn’t mind rum and diet if you’ve got it.”

“That we do.” He crossed through the living room and into the kitchen with Jyn behind him, so aware of the giant electric rat on his ass as he walked. If girls were going to be staring at his ass, he wanted it to be for other reasons; not because he was wearing pajama pants with anime on them. Hopefully she wouldn’t bring it up.

“I had a stuffed Pikachu was I was ten,” Jyn said.

Of course she brought it up.

“I slept with it every night,” she added.

Cassian didn’t reply, preferring to keep his head down to make her drink. Jyn watched as he did so, measuring out the Captain Morgan’s into a shot glass from his father that said, “My Son Is The Bass-t!” Why, of all nights, did this have to be his lamest?

“Pikachu had rage problems, if you ask me,” Kay said.

“No one did,” Cassian replied, stirring the drink. “Here, see what you think.” Jyn took a sip, pulled a face.

“Strong.”

“Been that kind of week.”

She made another face, sympathetic. “Sorry about what happened. That sucks.”

Cassian shrugged. “I mean, whatever. Just not meant for me.”

“Definitely not, if she cheated.”

“No, I mean, the whole…” He waved his hands in front of his face. “Never mind.”

“I’ve been single so long, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t know which end to kiss.”

Cassian hesitated as different responses went through his mind. “Well – ”

“That joke came out so wrong…”

“Excuse me,” Kay interrupted, “but are we going to get anything done tonight or…?”

Cassian glanced up at Jyn, saw she was already looking at him with a smile, and quickly looked away. “I’ll let you guys get to it,” he said, grabbing his beer off the counter and turning to leave. A shower was a good idea. He’d do that, then relax in his room with a book or just turn up the volume on his earbuds and put a pillow over his head. He could even turn in early. Tomorrow was Tuesday, and he had an early class. Might as well get a jump-start on his sleep and gearing his body up for the end of the semester.

It wasn’t like he had anything to distract him, now that he’d gotten dumped.

Again.


	2. The Christmas Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jyn invites Cassian to a party – oh yeah and Kay, too, of course, definitely Kay is invited, too, of course – and it’s so, so awkward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update! But at least it's a long chapter? :) As I’ve said on Tumblr, I’ve been sick with a variety of things, and now this story keeps getting longer. I even dreamed about an upcoming chapter last night, which involves breaking into a Christmas tree farm. Haha. Only in my dream, Jyn and Cassian were at a Christmas tree farm at Target…?
> 
> Oh and did you see the updated tags? Uh yeah I totally AM planning on pairing Kay with someone this Christmas. Prepare for more awkwardness and a girl named Maeve who is just trying really, really hard because she thinks Kay is Just Totally Fantastic and Cassian Has Never Been More Confused.
> 
> Oh oh! And I know I'm behind on comments, lovelies. Getting there!! <3 (THANK YOU!!! Muchos besos!!)

Jyn came over again on Wednesday. “No Pikachu tonight?” she asked as she got out her laptop.

“No Pikachu,” Cassian, next to her on the sofa, said. “I really was going to throw those out. I was just running a load of laundry that day and didn’t have anything else.”

“Sure you were.” She turned the machine on and navigated to whatever program she and Kay were using for whatever it was they were doing. Cassian thought about asking, but it looked way too complicated, so he didn’t bother. She wouldn’t be interested in hearing about his international relations master’s, either, probably.

Kay came out of the back of the apartment. “Ah, Jyn, you’re here,” he said. “We were going to order pizza. Are you interested?”

“I already ate, but sure. I could eat again.”

Kay cocked his head. “It’s not healthy to overeat.”

Jyn relaxed back against the couch, propping one socked foot up on the coffee table. “Who said it’s overeating? Maybe I had a salad.”

“Did you have a salad?”

“I did not.”

Cassian stood and walked over to where his phone was charging on the kitchen counter. “I’ll go order. What toppings do you like?”

“Nothing weird.”

“Pepperoni it is.”

“No jalapeños this time,” Kay chastised. He approached the breakfast counter to loom threateningly over Cassian. “My tummy hurt for a week last time.”

“Please,” Cassian said as he accessed the number in his cell’s contacts and then held the phone up to his ear. “It was not a week.”

Kay’s eyes shifted away, over his shoulder, to where Jyn was. “You’ll be disappearing after this, correct?”

“What?”

“I don’t need your distractions. You are a very loud, if respectful, roommate. Jyn and I are trying to do very well on this project. I can’t have either of you distracting each other.”

Cassian frowned as the line rang. “Why would we – yeah, hi.” He quickly ordered, then hung up. Lowering his voice he asked again, “Why would either of us distract…anything?”

“Well,” Kay said matter-of-factly, “she likes casual relationships with boys, and you are vulnerable as a baby goat after what happened with your ex-girlfriend. I have been forced into taking courses on human psychology and sociology, and I’ve also been forced to watch an episode of _Gilmore Girls_ with my mom in the past. I believe I understand pretty well how humans work.”

Cassian raised his eyebrows, amused and trying to hold back a laugh. “And?”

The expression on Kay’s face was dead serious. “And you two are a disaster waiting to happen. Stay away from my project partner, sir.”

Cassian’s expression broke, and he snorted. “Believe me, Kay, I’m not interested. She’s beautiful, but I’m sort of committed to the bachelor life at this point. Every relationship I’ve ever had has ended in total disaster. It’s not worth it. A happy ending is just not for me.”

“I’m alone and perfectly happy.”

“Yes,” Cassian said as he patted his friend’s shoulder, “I know you are. Now go. Get your programming done. I wouldn’t want to _distract_ you.”

“It’s not me you should be worried about,” Kay said darkly. “It’s her.”

\---

Cassian was refilling Jyn’s drink Friday evening, her and Kay’s computers crunching numbers and simulations, when she asked how he was doing. He shrugged, twisting the cap back onto the Jack Daniels.

“Better than before, I guess,” he said. He set the bottle down and picked up his own refilled beverage.

“This is why I don’t do relationships,” Jyn said. “I keep it casual for exactly this reason.”

“Oh?” Cassian replied, not entirely sure he wanted to hear this. He and Jyn weren’t exactly _friends_ – she was just his roommate’s project partner, and they’d only met Monday – and while he enjoyed having her around, he didn’t interact with her much. He certainly didn’t need to be hearing about her sex life. Maybe he shouldn’t have made her first drink as strong as he made his.

“No one gets hurt.” Jyn took a sip and raised her eyes to his. “I have no interest in long-term. At least not right now. I’ll do the casual thing for a while, enjoy that, then maybe, _maybe_ after school, settle down. I don’t know.”

“Ah.” Cassian looked away, uncomfortable. She must have sensed something in his response, or thought she did.

“I don’t sleep around, if that’s what you’re thinking,” she hurried to say.

“Oh, no, I wasn’t – ”

“I just date a little bit, and if it looks like sex is on the table, great.”

“Really, you don’t have to explain – ”

“If not, cool. It’s not usually. I mean, standards and all. I only see a few guys a year. Just whenever. Usually vulnerable, emotionally unavailable ones.” Now that she was talking, she didn’t seem to be able to stop. She looked a little horrified with herself that she couldn’t. “I have a type.”

“Me, too,” Cassian said. “Cheaters and poor matches.”

Jyn snorted. “Who’d be stupid enough to cheat on you?”

That drew Cassian up short. “Why do you say that?”

That color that blossomed on Jyn’s cheeks was lovely. “Well, you just seem like a nice guy.”

Cassian looked down at the countertop. “Right. Nice guys finish last.”

An awkward silence hung between them, and Cassian got the sense that Kay was glaring at them, eyes boring holes as he silently dared them to continue talking.

Suddenly, Jyn blurted, “Do you want to come to our Christmas party tomorrow night? My housemate Leia is having this thing, and her boyfriend Han will be there and our friend Bodhi. You’d like him.” She turned to the side, thrusting her hand out at Kay. “You’re invited, too, Kay, of course. I meant to invite you earlier when I came over.”

“I don’t do parties,” Kay said. “Nor does Cassian.”

Jyn’s face fell almost imperceptibly. “Oh, well, you don’t have to. It’s just this fun thing we always do, Christmas music and drinks and lights and stuff, I don’t know…” She turned back to Cassian and fiddled with her tumbler.

“You know what, I’d love to,” Cassian said, far too loudly. “That sounds great.”

“Great,” Jyn replied with a smile. “It starts at eight.”

\---

Kay groused the entire way to the party, and Cassian was starting to wish he hadn’t brought him. He needed him, though, so that the invite didn’t look weird. Cassian didn’t know Jyn except through Kay, and if Cassian had just come alone, it would have looked romantic-ish.

It was not romantic-ish. Cassian didn’t even _want_ it to be.

Sure, Jyn was pretty, with her big green eyes, full lips, awesome smile, beautiful hair, and curves. And sure, yeah, maybe they’d _sort of_ bonded over their unfulfilling love lives, but Jyn wasn’t his type, and Cassian was done with dating. He had resigned himself to a life of deep and lasting friendship with his right hand again, a variety of lubes to keep things interesting, and porn he kept on a flash drive that Kay found once and questioned.

Well. Maybe not. There was nothing wrong with a fuck buddy, he reminded himself.

Not that he wanted Jyn to be that! Jyn was too sweet, too good. She may do things casually, but she didn’t need someone like _Cassian_ in her life. Plus, he’d never been interested in the casual scene. It reeked too much of regret and dramatic text messages at two in the morning.

“Remember,” Kay warned as Cassian parked four houses down. Apparently the party was very popular. “You promised we’d only be here _one hour_ and that there would be hot chocolate.”

“Absolutely,” Cassian said, and got out of the car. “Spiked with peppermint schnapps,” he muttered. Stuffing his hands in his coat pockets, he followed Kay onto the sidewalk, and they walked toward the house. Popular remixes of Christmas music blasted out, the bass cranked all the way up.

“I already don’t like this,” Kay said. Cassian ignored him.

Jyn answered the door when Cassian rang the bell. She was wearing a tasteful little black cocktail dress (oh, _shit_ ) with a reindeer antler headband. It had green, red, and silver bells twined around it, but whether it jingled or not, Cassian had no way of telling over the music. Her eyes were lined in black, lashes heavily mascara’d and huge, and her lids had sparkly silver shadow on them. She’d done her lips in a festive red, and Cassian was quite sure he was staring.

It took a little too long for him to realize that.

Kay elbowed him in the ribs. “Cassian,” he said. “It’s cold.”

“I like snow,” Cassian said dumbly.

Jyn just smiled wider, one hand on the door, the other holding a red Solo cup. “Well, you’re welcome to stay out in it or come in, but you have to choose. I’m freezing my nips off.”

“What’s that?” Kay asked, and Cassian shoved him in. Jyn shut the door behind him and turned.

“Drink?” she asked.

“Yes, please,” Cassian replied desperately.

“Any preference?”

“Nope.”

Jyn arched a brow at Kay, who was doing a slow sweep of the party and looking increasingly unimpressed. “This one?”

“Shirley Temple,” Cassian answered.

Kay heard. “Hot chocolate,” he said petulantly. “I was promised hot chocolate, with mini marshmallows.”

Jyn’s eyes zipped to Cassian’s. “Uh – ”

“It was the only way he’d come,” Cassian explained. Jyn snorted.

“I’ll bet.”

“I don’t like the mint kind,” Kay said. “And don’t put schnapps in it.”

Jyn eyed him warily. “Let me see what I can find in the kitchen…”

“I’ll come with you,” Cassian said quickly. He began following her. “Kay: _stay_.”

She said something as they walked, but Cassian couldn’t hear her with the height difference and the music. Even with her wearing heels, her lips weren’t level with his.

Ears.

Level with his ears.

“What?” he asked.

“I said, God, he’s so _creepy_ ,” Jyn repeated. “And I don’t have fucking hot chocolate.”

“Don’t worry, I do.” Cassian pulled the crumpled Swiss Miss packet out of his coat pocket and thrust it into her hand. Her skin was warm and soft, and her fingers automatically closed around it. She looked down.

“Are you freaking – ”

“Just make it,” he interrupted.

“Sure I can’t spike it?”

“That wouldn’t be wise. I’ve never seen Kay drunk. He could be a time bomb for all I know.”

“Mm,” she replied thoughtfully. “Milk or water?”

“Milk.”

“I don’t have marshmallows.”

“Well, then you’re going to have to explain that to him.”

The kitchen was packed with people crowding around the liquor. Jyn pushed her way through them to a cabinet and got down a mug with a snowman on it, then shoved her way to the refrigerator. She poured milk into the mug, then slammed it onto the glass tray in the microwave and slammed the door shut. Then she hopped up on the counter. She didn’t look all that pleased with Kay’s antics, and Cassian couldn’t blame her.

“Tell me again why you brought him?” she asked.

“Uh, because you invited him?” Cassian replied, clenching his fists in his coat. He was exactly eye level with her breasts, which were concealed in the flattering dress, but still. Also, now that she was on the counter, the skirt had hiked up a bit, revealing more of her thighs. She had a gorgeous body. Not traditionally beautiful, as she wasn’t slender the way society thought was perfect (like Lainey), but she was just…it was…the word…where was it…

_Perfect._

_Aw, fuck,_ Cassian thought.

The microwave beeped. Jyn turned toward it.

“You gonna take your coat off,” she asked as she stirred the dusty cocoa mix in, “or keep it on when it’s about a hundred degrees in here? You’re flushed.”

He also had a slight hard-on, but hopefully she wouldn’t call him on that, too.

Some crowing asshole saved him from answering.

“SOLO CUPS! SOLO CUPS! SOLO CUPS! _WOOOOOO!_ ”

Jyn’s head jerked up, and Cassian whirled around. A tall man shimmied into the kitchen waving a bag of, indeed, red Solo cups over his head like a prize.

“Solo is here with the Solo cups, bitches!” he shouted.

“Shut the fuck up, Han!” Jyn called out, sliding off the counter and pressing the mug into Cassian’s hand. She strode up to the man, and instead of smacking him or something, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him.

Cassian felt a muscle twitch. Had to be, because it certainly wasn’t a spike of jealousy or anything. The ceramic mug felt too hot against his skin. He carefully set it on the counter, then watched as Han and Jyn chatted. Han dwarfed her, and he was all chiseled good looks and lifeguard body. Cassian suddenly felt very scrawny, despite being tall and having a decent amount of lean muscle.

Jyn made a disgusted face at one point, shook her head, and returned to Cassian.

“No good?” he asked, and she was right, it really must have been a hundred degrees in there.

“He and Leia were up in her room getting it on,” Jyn replied. “Gross.”

Awkward. “We should probably go find Kay,” Cassian said. “God knows what he’s gotten up to.”

They started to walk back to where they’d last seen Kay in the front entryway, but Jyn stopped to greet another guest.

“Bodhi!”

The man gave her a hug, then looked at Cassian. “Cassian?”

“Hey, Bodhi,” Cassian replied, belatedly remembering that Jyn had mentioned earlier that she was friends with a guy named Bodhi. “I didn’t know you knew Jyn.”

“Yeah, we’ve known each other for years,” Bodhi said. “We both applied here. College, too. Couldn’t let this one out of my sight.” He jerked his thumb at her.

“Ha,” Jyn said. “You know I wouldn’t leave you behind, Bo.” Then she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Have you seen Cassian’s creepy-ass roommate?”

“Your weirdo partner you’ve been stalking on Facebook? Trying to find pictures of Cass – ”

Jyn elbowed him in the ribs, and Cassian’s eyes widened. Jyn had been looking for him on _Facebook_?

“I was trying to find out how to contact you,” she said coolly, but the words were ridiculous, because how hard was it to contact someone these days?

“I’m on Twitter, Facebook Messenger, campus email, Gmail, Instagram, and Snapchat, too,” Cassian said, before wanting to crawl in a hole and die because _God_ that sounded desperate. “Also Kay knows how to get a hold of me,” he muttered.

Luckily – or perhaps not – they were saved from having to continue the conversation, because another guest walked by and snagged Cassian’s attention.

“Cassian?” she said. “I didn’t know you’d be here!”

He turned, and looked straight into the smiling face of his ex-girlfriend, Lainey Crittendon.


	3. The Dance Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jyn takes Cassian to a dance club to get him away from his ex.

“It’s so good to see you,” Lainey continued, while Cassian just stood there wishing he were anyplace else. _How_ could she have ruined such a nice night? “How have you been?” she asked.

“Not great?” Cassian replied. “Why are you here?”

Jyn reacted before Cassian did, sliding over to his side and wrapping her arm around his waist. Cassian’s brain short-circuited, and he just tried to keep his face blank.

“I’m sorry, have we met?” Jyn said with a smile.

“Lainey Crittendon,” she said. “Who are you?”

“Jyn Erso.” Her fingers squeezed Cassian’s waist tighter. Cassian tried not to move. “This is my house. My housemate Leia has never mentioned you before. Who invited you?”

“Han Solo,” Lainey said, looking behind her and pointing back into the kitchen to where Han was doing a keg stand. She frowned. “We go to the same gym.”

“Ahh,” Jyn said with a knowing nod. “Well. That’s not surprising.”

Lainey looked between the two of them. “You’re, um…”

“Dating,” Jyn answered with a decisive nod. “My house, my boyfriend. Laters.”

And with that, she grabbed Cassian’s hand and dragged him off, past Bodhi, who raised his eyebrows, and to the bathroom down the hall. She quickly shut the door.

“This…is a nightmare,” Jyn said. She turned to the mirror and adjusted her reindeer antlers. “I say we get out of here, so we don’t have to avoid her the rest of the night like we’re scared of her.”

“Um, well, I am – ”

“Cassian, grow some balls,” Jyn said as she cupped her breasts and wiggled them, as if they were out of place. Cassian hoped she couldn’t see his face in the mirror. “She’s hot, but not _that_ hot. If you like blondes.”

“I actually prefer brunettes.”

“So do I,” Jyn said.

Cassian squinted and cocked his head. “Girls?”

Jyn looked at him with a _How are you this stupid?_ look. “ _Guys_ , pervert. Don’t get your hopes up. You have to get me a _lot_ drunker to see me make out with a girl.”

“…like how drunk?”

Jyn opened the door a crack and looked down the hall. “Coast is clear. Let’s go.”

“But what about Kay? I can’t just leave him. He’ll wander off and wind up on an episode of _Disappeared_.”

Jyn shrugged, unconcerned. “I’ll tell Bodhi to take care of him. Or Leia. I’ve got it covered. Let’s go.”

With no choice but to follow her down the hall, Cassian left the bathroom after her. She grabbed a clutch off the kitchen counter, pulled her phone out, and began texting. As they walked past the living room, Cassian caught sight of Kay…sitting on the couch with a girl talking to him.

A _girl_. A real, actual, living _girl_.

Cassian’s eyes widened. “Jyn, did you see – ”

But she already had her coat on and was pulling him out the door and closing it behind her.

“We’ll have to take your car,” she said as she hurried down the driveway. “Mine is blocked in.”

“I’m down here.”

They jogged to Cassian’s car, the chill in the air biting into their lungs. The engine was still warm – he and Kay hadn’t been at the party long – and the heat came on shortly after starting the car.

“So where are we going?” Cassian asked as he pulled away from the curb. His heart beat harder in his chest, and he felt like he was doing something adventurous. He’d ditched Kay at a party, at the hostess’s insistence. As far as adventures went, it was pretty tame, but it did feel…secretive.

After all, it was just them in the car. And Cassian had not yet been alone with Jyn.

“I’ve got an idea,” she said, tapping at her phone in her maps app. The directions came up, and the voice directed Cassian to turn left at the next street.

He did.

\---

Jyn had chosen a dance club of all places, somewhere fifteen minutes away that Cassian had never heard of called Eisley. He wasn’t really a dance club kind of guy, but it was his first night in many that he was away from Kay and, what was more, with a beautiful girl. It was nice, he realized as they walked in and got a table. He had a new friend. A girl friend. Not a _girl_ friend girl friend, but a female friend. Not like the kind of girl you held in your arms and smelled and thought about all the time and sent text messages to (but not too often lest you look desperate and clingy) and bought little gifts for and all that stupid stuff that he didn’t want. Just a nice, regular friend who was a girl.

Jyn was a girl!

“What are you thinking about?” Jyn asked as she perused the menu. She wasn’t even looking at him, but Cassian started guiltily as if she’d caught him looking at porn gifs or something.

“Just how nice it is to have a new friend,” Cassian answered, and for the love of fuck, could that answer be any lamer? He sounded like a damn episode of Daniel Tiger. _I like new friends! I like new friends, too! Jyn Erso, I wanna come and play with you!_

Jyn looked up at him. “Me, too,” she said. Then she wrinkled her nose. “Kay wasn’t good company.”

Cassian laughed, probably too hard, but a lot of his anxiety came out with it. “No, he’s really not.”

They placed their order, and Jyn crossed her arms on the tabletop and leaned forward. “He just does all this stuff that pisses me off, and I can’t imagine how you live with him. He needs a girl, Cassian.”

“Kay needs a robot,” Cassian said. “He needs a virtual presence that he can bend to his will.”

Jyn laughed. It was a good sound, and it made Cassian smile to hear it. There were a lot worse people Kay could have gotten paired with for his project.

They’d ordered light appetizers and drinks, and they chatted about their areas of study as they ate. Jyn was interested in hearing about his passion for conflict resolution in the world, and as someone who used to tinker with electronics as a kid, Cassian enjoyed hearing about her computer science degree.

“So, are you going home for the holidays?” Cassian asked at one point. It felt a little too hopeful, and he hoped she didn’t read it as too forward. Jyn shook her head.

“No,” she said. “Leia is flying back to be with her folks, so mine are coming out here since I’ve got more room in the house. You?”

“Mine are local,” Cassian replied, trying to ignore the surge of joy in his chest. It would be nice to have someone else to hang out with over the holidays besides Kay. “What about Bodhi?”

“Oh, Bodhi will be here, too. He goes wherever we go,” Jyn said with a smile. “We’ve basically adopted him at this point.”

“Nice.” Cassian twirled his empty glass between his fingers, enjoying the night but still worrying about leaving Kay. “I should probably get back,” he said reluctantly. “Kay is going to freak out if I’m not there.”

“What are you, his parent? Fuck that,” Jyn said as she tilted her head back and downed whatever shot was sitting in front of her. “He’s not a puppy.”

“You’d be surprised how hard he is to housebreak.”

“He’s more like a cat anyway.”

“True.”

“And cats don’t need supervision. Did you clean his litterbox? Leave out kibble? Make sure all his mousies are filled with catnip?”

“Yes, yes, and yes.”

“Then you’re fine.” Jyn climbed off the stool and put her hand out. Heart thudding again, Cassian took it and let her pull him to the dance floor. “Shut up and dance with me.” It took a moment for Cassian to realize she was quoting the song that was playing. He was not much of a dancer, preferring to glue himself to the wall while everyone made fools of themselves, but there was no choice now. Jyn was already dancing and singing the lyrics, and then she grabbed his hand and twirled under his arm. She finished against his chest and wrapped her arms around his back, moving with the music.

_I knew we were bound to be together_   
_Bound to be together_   
_She took my arm_   
_I don’t know how it happened_   
_We took the floor and she said_   
_Oh don’t you dare look back_   
_Just keep your eyes on me_   
_I said you’re holding back_   
_She said shut up and dance with me_   
_This woman is my destiny_

Then her back was against his chest, and his chin was on her shoulder. He felt her smile, her cheek against his as he leaned down. His hands curved over her hips, and she interlaced their fingers.

It only lasted a moment, and then she had turned away from him again to do her own thing.

But then she was close again, so close, against his chest so he could dance together with her, holding her tight, and he could smell her perfume and her hair and she was _too close_ …

The night passed in a blur.

\---

At twelve-thirty, the club workers finally turned on the lights and asked them to go home. Jyn retrieved her shoes from her chair – she hadn’t been wearing them the last hour – and Cassian put his sweater back on over his head before sliding back into his coat. They walked out to Cassian’s car, Jyn humming “Shut Up and Dance.”

The drive back to Jyn’s house was quiet, and for a few minutes, Cassian worried he’d done something wrong.

But then…he realized it was a different sort of quiet.

It was a tense quiet.

It was the quiet of electricity, of unspoken energy.

Jyn stared out the window, Cassian sneaking glances at her every half a minute. Part of him wanted the drive to never end, because then his time with Jyn would be over (and when would he see her again? She’d said tonight her project with Kay was basically over), but the other part of him wanted it to be over, because…what if…?

The cars from Jyn and Leia’s party had cleared out. The driveway was empty. Cassian parked, and he waited, the car warm and idling under him.

“That was fun,” Jyn finally said. She looked over at him with a smile, her hands folded in her lap. “I had a really good time tonight.”

“Me, too,” he replied, an easy smile coming to his face. Was he supposed to…kiss her, or…?

But Jyn looked away, breaking eye contact, and pulled the door release.

“I’ll walk you up,” he said.

The sound of the doors slamming was loud in the dark, silent night. The cold was almost unbearable.

“Bodhi took care of Kay,” Jyn said through chattering teeth as she bounced back and forth from foot to foot at the front door. “I checked my phone a little bit ago. He’s fine.”

“Good, good. I’m glad,” Cassian said. He felt disappointed, and he hated that he felt disappointed. Jyn looked up at him, but he didn’t have anything more he could say. Nor, it seemed, did she.

He had no fucking clue what to do.

“Oh, um.” Jyn looked down and dug in her clutch. “Let me give you my number. Let me know you got home okay. It’s late.”

It was touching, that she even cared. They swapped numbers and put their phones away. Cassian gave her a little smile, and he sensed that it was time to go.

“Thanks for a nice night,” he said. “And for inviting us in the first place.”

“Yeah, you too,” she said. “Hope Kay isn’t too much trouble when you get home.”

“Nah, he’ll be fine. Hopefully he got himself tucked into bed okay and won’t need me.”

“Great. Good. Yeah.” She smiled at him for another second, then abruptly turned to the door. “G’night.”

“Night, Jyn,” Cassian murmured, but she had already gone inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I freakin’ love that song by Walk the Moon. I had been wanting to write a oneshot to it, but it never happened. Seemed to fit here, though, so yay!


	4. The Not-Lunch Not-Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Kay asks Cassian for girl advice, and Jyn asks Cassian to help her get out of cleaning the house (Leia wants it SCRUBBED!).

Jyn had barely hung up her coat when a voice said, “So who’s the guy?”

She looked up to see her housemate Leia wrapped in a blanket in an armchair, holding a steaming mug.

“Just my project partner’s roommate,” Jyn answered, bending down to remove her shoes.

“Mm,” Leia said, thoroughly unconvinced. “Hell of a looker.”

Jyn shrugged, glancing out the window in the door to see Cassian’s car reversing down the driveway. “Yeah, I mean, if you’re into that sort of thing.”

“What? Hot guys? Nice guys? Guys who are into you?”

Jyn scowled and came into the living room. “He’s not _into me_ , Leia. He just got out of a relationship with a cheater.”

“Lainey. Han told me. Awkward.”

“Yeah, completely.” Jyn dropped down on the sofa, sighed, and put her feet up. Paraphernalia from the party was still strewn everywhere.

“So you just…decided to…take him out for the night.”

“Ahh…yup,” Jyn nodded, fingers interlaced over her stomach.

“Leaving me to deal with the party and clean-up, et cetera.”

Jyn nodded slowly, realization dawning on her. “…yup.” She put a hand to her forehead. “I’m sorry, Leia. I just felt so bad for him.”

Leia just waved it off. “It’s not a big deal, honey, really. I made Han do the majority of the clean-up. Was it the big sad brown eyes that got you?”

“No,” Jyn said with another scowl. “He’s nice.”

“I like nice men.”

“And yet you’re with Han.” Leia threw a pillow at her. Jyn yawned. “I’m going to go to bed. We can clean this up tomorrow, yeah?”

“Sure, sure.”

Jyn got up and started to walk out of the room. “Night, Leia.”

 _“Really?”_ Leia said suddenly when Jyn was at the staircase. “Really, there’s nothing more between you two?”

Jyn turned her hands up helplessly and shook her head. “No. We’re friends. I don’t think he wants… I mean, I’m not even the kind of person who _does_ that sort of thing, so… It doesn’t matter anyway.”

Leia nodded. “Ah. I see. He doesn’t want another relationship, and you only want casual relationships.”

“Right. I’m happy that way. He seems to be happy being single.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Jyn shrugged. “So what’s the problem? Why can’t we just be friends?”

Leia snorted. “Go to bed, Jyn. You’re drunk.”

Jyn wasn’t, and they both knew it.

\---

Sunday morning, Cassian hunched over his phone, sipping his coffee and determinedly reading NPR while Kay positively _seethed_ at him in silence for the better part of ten minutes.

“You _left_ me,” he finally said.

“Mm?”

“You left me at that godforsaken party _by myself_ , to do what? Go fornicate?”

“I was not fornicating,” Cassian said. “God’s honest truth. I’m a virgin reborn now. I told you that.”

Kay scoffed. “I have so many instances logged in my brain as evidence for your lack of virginity. I even have your script memorized.”

“I do not have a _script_ – ”

“Allow me to start with foreplay – ”

“Something you wanted to say, Kay?”

Kay just eyed him for a moment. “You know, you could benefit from my accumulated knowledge of your sex-making. Perhaps you could keep things interesting by changing your dialogue. Instead of ‘You feel so good,’ what about, ‘You feel marvelously superb’?”

Cassian’s cheeks burned. “You listened in?” he hissed. “Couldn’t you just put on headphones?”

“Well,” Kay drawled, “you aren’t exactly _quiet_.”

Cassian groaned.

“I hear that one a lot, too. And ‘Yes, yes, yes, Cassian’ and ‘Please, please, Cassian’ and what the hell are they begging for?”

Cassian slowly got up from the breakfast counter. “I am going to go over there,” he said, pointing to the couch, “and we are going to pretend this conversation never, ever happened.”

“I think a girl likes me.”

Cassian stopped halfway into sitting down on the couch, and he blinked hard. “Come again?”

“I’ve heard _that_ one – ”

“I meant what did you say?” Cassian asked through gritted teeth, getting altogether too fed up for nine-thirty on a Sunday morning.

“I said, I think a girl likes me,” Kay repeated.

“How can you tell?”

“She texted me her number and her name and a smiling cat emoji.”

_“Seriously?”_

Kay just looked defeated. “After you _left me_ , I had no choice but to _socialize_.” He all but shuddered at the word. “Bodhi was kind, and so was Jyn’s housemate Leia. Everybody else wisely gave me a wide berth. But then this girl started talking to me, and I ignored her, but she wouldn’t stop. Her name is Maeve.”

Cassian squinted his eyes. “I don’t really think I’m qualified to have this conversation with you.”

Kay was silent, which Cassian had never once seen. He stared at his hands in his lap, and Cassian immediately felt bad.

“You’re right,” Kay said, sounding a little dejected, and Cassian felt even worse. “You’re horrible at relationships. Why am I asking _you_ for advice?”

The bad feeling immediately went away.

\---

Cassian had just gotten out of the shower when his phone dinged with a text message.

_Hi it’s Jyn. Leia wants me to scrub the house after the party. I told her I had a study group. I lied. Can you meet me at 2:30? I know that’s only 20m but I don’t want to clean._

Cassian studied the message for a few minutes, a few different responses going through his head. He didn’t want to sound desperate or elated or sad or weird.

 **Sure** , he texted back. **That sounds cool.**

That sounded so lame.

They decided on Panera, and Cassian hurriedly got dressed.

“Text that girl back,” he told Kay as he pulled a sweater over his head on his way through the living room. “Say something nice.”

“I don’t have anything nice to say,” Kay replied as he flipped channels on the TV.

“Shocking.” Cassian got his socks and shoes on and gathered up his wallet and phone. “How about, ‘It was nice meeting you’?”

“But it wasn’t. It made me feel funny.”

“Well, maybe that was attraction.”

“Hmph.”

“You’re impossible. Goodbye, Kay.”

“Where are you going?” Kay asked, sounding, as usual, like a lost puppy whenever Cassian left without him.

“I’m going to meet Jyn,” Cassian answered.

“Jyn!” Kay repeated in shock. “My project partner?!”

“…yeah?”

“I told you to stay away!”

“Oh, shut up.” Cassian opened the door, and he left.

\---

As usual, Jyn looked lovely, dressed in a sweater, skirt, and leggings. She was waiting for him just inside the door of Panera, hopping from foot to foot again.

“Hi!” she said brightly, smiling wide for him. Cassian’s heart flip-flopped in his chest, and he couldn’t help but smile back.

“Hi,” he said, and that was about all he was capable of at the moment. Truth be told, she didn’t seem able to say anything else, either. A grumpy customer pushed by them, but still, they didn’t move.

“Shall we order, then?” Jyn finally said.

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Cassian said. “Food is good.”

Jyn laughed, like every stupid thing that came out of his mouth was just perfectly brilliant.

At the register, she whipped out her wallet to pay, so he didn’t bother trying to. He was a gentleman – his parents had raised him right, despite the Dad Jokes when it came to shot glasses – but he didn’t want to push it and make things weird.

 _Keep it cool,_ he thought. _You’re just friends._

And he liked having a new friend. New friends were fun. He liked having Jyn Erso as a friend. What was more, Jyn Erso clearly liked having _him_ as a friend. She’d saved him from the awkwardness (and hurt, if he had to be honest) of seeing Lainey last night. She could’ve just walked away, let him deal with his drama all by himself, but she –

Cassian suddenly felt a jolt in his chest as he waited for his food.

_But she didn’t._

_Why?_

Jyn barely knew him. It had been less than a week.

 _Maybe she’s been in a similar situation,_ Cassian thought as his buzzer started an epileptic fit, nearly vibrating his hand to numbness. _Just helping me out to be nice._

They got their food, filled their drinks, and sat as far away from everyone else as possible. Jyn immediately started talking about how annoying she found Kay – her default, it seemed, for ice-breaking. To be fair, Cassian was more than happy to indulge her.

In talking about Kay.

Not other stuff. That she didn’t want from him. Like touching and stuff.

They lingered over their meal for a good two hours. Talking to her was so easy. There was no pressure, no need to impress her, and she fascinated Cassian. He loved hearing about her parents (both scientists), and she enjoyed hearing about his (humanitarians). Her dad was horrible with the Dad Jokes as well, but she adored him and loved his nickname for her (“Stardust”). They both loved Apple products. She absolutely loved Christmas, though she thought Santa was questionable and wondered how the reindeer went to the bathroom.

“I mean, do they stop in fields, or forests, and do they all go at the same time, and does Santa have to unhitch them, or what?” Jyn said. “And why does Mrs. Claus always have to be fat? Why can’t she get a fucking job? All she does is make cookies. Hasn’t she ever heard of the feminist movement? Ugh, it pisses me off. Although I did see a skinny Mrs. Claus at a children’s museum once, and it just, that just upset me, too, so I guess I’m just a walking hypocrite.” She stabbed her brownie with particular force, and Cassian raised his eyebrows, amused.

“Uh, I’m sure in this day and age,” he said, “she helps out in the toy shop? Manages the elves?”

Jyn chewed thoughtfully, her eyes on the cheap satin stockings with all the employees’ names on them. “I guess so. Maybe she does payroll? Speaking of feminism, don’t get me started on that fucking ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ song. Every time I hear it, I want to hurl. I heard it no less than four times a day when I was working retail on breaks in college, and I don’t understand how anyone can play it anymore. It’s so offensive.”

“Personally, I find ‘Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree’ offensive.”

Jyn tilted her head, her expression slackening. “I’m serious, Cassian.”

He cleared his face. “No, no, I know you are. I agree. ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ is horrendous. I can’t believe they had it in _Elf_.”

Jyn’s face lit up. “I _love_ _Elf_! Not gonna lie, I cry at the end, every time, when Buddy saves Christmas. My mom watches all those Hallmark movies, which is just awful. I have little cousins, though, who are all into _Santa Paws_ and, I dunno, like _Paw Patrol_ _Saves Christmas_ and _Daniel Tiger’s Happy Christmas Friendship Get-Along_ and God, Daniel Tiger pisses me off. He’s so fucking happy. _No one_ is that happy.”

“I saw some study that said that kids who watch Daniel Tiger have better social behavior.”

Jyn frowned. “Why are you looking up studies on Daniel Tiger?”

“It was on NPR,” Cassian defended himself.

“I love NPR.”

Another half-hour later, and they both had to concede it was time to go. They walked slowly out to their cars, snow gently falling around them.

“This is me,” Cassian said when they got to his vehicle.

“Oh,” Jyn said. She stared at the car, her mittened hands in her coat pockets. Then she abruptly looked up at him. “Coffee? It’s so cold out here.”

“We could’ve gotten coffee at Panera.”

“There’s a Starbucks on the corner, and I have to use the bathroom.”

So Cassian followed her down to the Starbucks and waited for her, checking his email and social accounts and fielding texts from Kay about when he’d be back.

 **Soon** , he replied.

Kay didn’t respond to that.

“I got you something,” Jyn said from above him, and Cassian looked up to see her holding two coffee cups. She set one down in front of him. “It’s my favorite. Chestnut praline latte.”

Cassian smiled and took it.


	5. The Christmas Tree Farm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jyn and Cassian break into a Christmas tree farm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> …and the rating goes up.

It had started to get dark by the time they walked back to Cassian’s car again. He didn’t want the day to end, and his mind churned furiously as he tried to think of a way to get Jyn to stay, to extend their time together. He glanced around, seeking inspiration. Christmas lights twinkled, trees sparkled in shop windows –

“Christmas tree,” he blurted. “I don’t have one. Do you want to go get one?”

“Yes!” Jyn said. “We don’t have one, either, and Leia has actually been bugging me for one.”

“We probably shouldn’t make Leia mad.”

“No, no, definitely not,” Jyn replied, shaking her head as Cassian unlocked his car doors. “Leia is not someone you want on your bad side.”

They got in, and Cassian started the car as Jyn looked up the address of the closest farm.

“It’s half an hour away,” she said. “They close soon, but we might be able to make it in time if we hurry.”

As they drove, Cassian once again felt the _something_ that had been there the night before when they’d driven back from the dance club. He longed to reach over and hold her hand, to touch her soft skin, to feel her holding his hand back. His chest felt tight, like he was anticipating something, but he wasn’t sure it would actually happen.

_Do you even want it to? Lainey burned you so bad. Jyn is everything you ever wanted. She’d just break your heart like all the others, and if you fell for her, you’d never recover._

But then she looked over at him with one of those smiles, and Cassian felt his heart clench, and he knew it was going to break nonetheless.

\---

Night had fallen completely by the time they got to the farm, and it was closed and locked.

“No,” Jyn moaned, holding onto the chain link fence encasing the trees. “I wanted my tree!”

Looking at her, seeing how sad she was over a Christmas tree, still not wanting this night to end, Cassian felt bold.

“Do you have a couple hair pins?” he asked. She sent him a look, and then her lips slowly curved up. She took pins from her bun and handed them to him, and he worked the lock on the gate until it popped open.

“Cassian Andor, you are the _last_ person I would take for breaking and entering,” she said.

“You’d be surprised,” he replied with a grin, feeling a surge of pride. He pulled open one of the creaky gates and swept his hand out. “After you.”

“Thank you.” She walked past him, and they strolled around the farm. They had no way of cutting a tree down. They had no way of taking, paying for, and tying up one of the pre-cut ones. But it was nice to just wander along the snowy paths looking at all of the trees. They were quiet, and Cassian was deep in thought as they walked. Could they…? Should they…?

The farm was small, and their walk ended too soon. Next to the checkout stand was a wooden pole with a button on it. Above it, a sign read, “PRESS FOR CHRISTMAS MAGIC.” And above that, a funnel.

Jyn pressed the button.

Out burst peppermint-scented fake snow and huge octagonal pieces of silver glitter all over them, dusting their hair and clothes. “Merry Christmas from the Hoth Tree Farm!” said a pre-recorded female voice. “We hope our Christmas Magic brings you your Christmas wish!”

Jyn laughed and spun  toward Cassian, grabbing the lapels of his coat and pulling him close. “Christmas Magic!” she chuckled, and then she pulled him down and kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, and she moved her arms to his neck.

He could feel her smile as she kissed him, over and over, with the occasional giggle breaking through.

Then, “Let’s get out of here,” she finally said, and they walked back to the car, Jyn tucked in close to Cassian’s side.

When he started it, though, he made no move to drive. Jyn said nothing. Cassian chanced a glance at her: she was looking straight ahead, hands in her lap. Had he done something wrong? But no…it didn’t feel like that. It felt… _electric_.

“Cassian…” she said, and she looked over at him.

The next moment, she was straddling his lap in the driver’s seat, kissing him furiously. Her coat was off and his hands were under her sweater on her waist, finally on her bare skin, and he kissed her neck and he could barely breathe. He lowered his hand to the lever to move the seat back, to give them more room, but then Jyn climbed off him…and through the gap between the front seats, into the backseat.

Cassian followed without any hesitation.

She unbuttoned his coat and pushed it off his shoulders, then thankfully took his sweater off. He was burning up. Her hands found his belt buckle, and he didn’t protest, not even a little bit. She ground down into him, and he held onto her, face pressed against her chest as she did it again and again. Cassian dragged his hands up her thighs, under her skirt, to the waistband of her leggings, and hooked his fingers in.

Jyn raised herself up from his lap, granting him access, and he pulled them down. With some maneuvering she got her boots and socks off, too.

A laugh escaped Cassian as his hands roamed her naked thighs. “Jyn…this is…”

“I know, I know,” she laughed back. “Crazy.”

“We should…maybe…talk…?”

She wouldn’t stop kissing him. He wanted her to never stop kissing him. But he also didn’t want to rush into anything.

“This probably isn’t a good idea,” he added, but it wasn’t like he wasn’t kissing her back and touching every bit of skin he could get his hands on.

“I’ll stop if you want me to,” she whispered, her hands on his face and so, so warm. “How bad do you want me to?”

“Don’t ever stop.” He thrust his fingers through her hair, moving his hips up into her, aching, pained.

Maybe he did want to rush into something after all.

“Do you want to do any…like…” Cassian tried to form more words, but they wouldn’t happen. “Want me to…”

Jyn kissed down his neck, and he almost forgot to breathe. He was trying to offer her some mutual pleasure, some fooling around first instead of…whatever it was she had in mind…but she did not seem interested in the slightest.

She was tugging at his pants.

Cassian lifted his hips to help her, and she pulled his pants and underwear down. This was _insane_ , and his mind could barely keep up. His heart pounded relentlessly in his chest, and his blood was coursing fiery hot through his veins. He reached under her skirt again and pulled her wet underwear down, hands dragging on her thighs, and when he felt her naked against him, _God_ , he wanted to die. His fingers itched to touch her, and he wanted to get his mouth on her, too.

“Condom?” he breathed.

“Yeah.” She leaned forward into the passenger seat and dug around in her purse. “Always prepared,” she said as she came back to him, opening it up and unrolling it over him. She moved closer, gently gripped him, pulled, stroked her hand up him a few times.

Cassian’s head fell back against the window. It wasn’t like it had been _forever_ since he’d been touched; it had only been a few weeks (and it wasn’t like he hadn’t kept himself company in that time). But the fact that Jyn was touching him, that she _wanted_ to touch him…

He gathered her closer to him, felt her raise herself, line herself up with him…and sink slowly down, the quietest of sounds coming from the back of her throat. He grimaced, feeling himself completely enveloped by her, warm and slick, wrapped tight around him. At her shoulders, he bunched her sweater up into fists in his hands. Her hands cradled his face, and her forehead touched his.

“You’re bigger than I’m used to,” she whispered, and he wanted to _die_.

When Cassian finally opened his eyes, it was to look at their bodies, joined together, but hidden by her skirt and his undershirt. Then he looked up again, and her eyes were on his.

“Okay?” she whispered.

“I should be asking you that,” he whispered back, and bit his bottom lip.

“You feel great.”

Cassian smiled tentatively, and then he laughed again, a little nervous. Jyn laughed back, and he wrapped an arm around her and moved up into her, awkwardly, causing her to nearly bump her back on the roof. She just laughed again, and they kissed, and Cassian couldn’t remember ever having this much fun with sex. He’d always enjoyed it, sure, but this…this was totally different. It was goofy and funny and in the backseat of his car at a Christmas tree farm that they’d just broken into. It was difficult to maneuver in the car, and they both laughed at the difficulties of it, as they tried to kiss and bumped, as they readjusted and tried to get a rhythm going, as the ridiculous Christmas Magic fluttered down around them into Cassian’s scrupulously clean car.

Then their eyes met, and Jyn stopped laughing. Cassian did, too. He leaned forward and kissed her, slow and deep, his hand curved around the back of her neck, and rolled his hips up into her.

They had all the time in the world.

Jyn ran her fingers through his hair, stroked them down his face, touched his arms, his chest. He touched her, too, exploring her, feeling her, as he made love to her. She felt so good. All of her did. She swayed her hips slowly back and forth against his, taking him in.

When he felt himself drawing near, when the ache was too much and he couldn’t hold it back any longer, he felt saddened by it, even though it had lasted a long time. He looked into her eyes, brushing her hair back, and she watched him as he fell.

“Good?” she asked quietly.

“Yeah,” he said, trying to catch his breath. “Good. You are…incredible, Jyn.”

Jyn smiled at him once more, and then she buried herself in his chest.


	6. The Talk and the New Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jyn and Cassian talk, after some prodding by Leia and Bodhi. They meet Maeve, who is cut from the same cloth as Kay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand we’re done! Sorry this didn’t get finished till after the holidays, but…only 2 days late. :) On to prompts next! Then “Deception” again! YAY!! I’m so excited to return to it. :)

Cassian’s car idled in Jyn’s driveway for a few moments before she spoke.

“Well,” she said, “I suppose we should call it a night.”

“Yeah,” Cassian said, his fingers tightening a little on the steering wheel. She wondered what he was feeling, if he was like her and feeling a few too many things all at once.

Jyn leaned across the center console toward him, and he turned his face to her. She gently kissed his lips, so soft and smooth. “Goodnight, Cassian,” she murmured. When she pulled away, his face was blank. He wasn’t giving anything away to her. “Text you?”

“Sure, yeah,” he said with a nod. “That sounds great.”

“Sorry about your tree.”

“Kay’s allergic to them anyway.”

“Oh,” Jyn said. Yet he’d said he wanted to get one anyway. She couldn’t help but smile again.

“Goodnight,” she said again, and got out of the car.

She didn’t go into the house until his car was long gone.

\---

Leia found her in her room, hugging a pillow and staring at the thick comforter.

“That was a lie,” Leia said. “You didn’t have a study group. You _lied_ to play hooky from cleaning.” She shook a sponge on a wand at her. “I don’t like this game, Jyn Erso. You play dirty. And no one plays dirty with me when it comes to cleaning my living space.”

“Sorry,” Jyn mumbled. She sensed Leia’s demeanor immediately change.

“Hey, what happened?” she said, coming into the room. “I’m over being pissed about it; you can make it up to me later. Did something go wrong with your _study group_?”

“No, I’m just worried about the exam, is all,” Jyn said unconvincingly.

“Jyn. You were with Cassian. I knew that when you didn’t come home after two hours or answer a single one of my texts, especially the one about Lando losing at strip poker last night and now he can’t find his pants. You _never_ miss a chance to take a cheap shot at Lando.”

Jyn shook her head and looked away. Leia sank down onto the bed next to her.

“Jyn?” she said quietly. “What happened?”

Jyn looked back at her friend. “I just…shouldn’t care this much. I know he doesn’t want anything beyond this, and that should be fine. That’s what I do. Just this time, I don’t want that.”

“Have you tried, I don’t know, _talking_ to him about it?”

“We talked earlier, when we first met. He’s not interested.”

Leia shrugged. “Maybe he changed his mind. You certainly seem to have.”

“I know.” Jyn pushed the heel of her hand into her eye. “It’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid, Jyn. It’s Christmas. Don’t let this pass you by.” She pressed something into Jyn’s hand. She looked down to see her own phone. “Text him.”

Satisfied with Jyn’s nod, Leia got up and left, shutting the door quietly behind her. Jyn sent only three words:

_Can we talk?_

\---

Bodhi eyed Cassian over his coffee mug the next afternoon. He’d just turned in a final paper and was clearly feeling relieved, but in no mood to be dragged down by drama. He and Cassian were friends, of a sort, but they didn’t see each other much. Certainly they were not the type to confess problems to one another.

Cassian, though, was not sure what else to do.

“Look, I don’t know what to tell you, mate,” Bodhi said. “Jyn does what Jyn does. Have you tried _talking_ to her about this?”

“Why would I do that?” Cassian replied crossly. “She doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“Communication isn’t your strong point, is it?”

Cassian wrinkled his nose and looked away.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Bodhi said. “Jyn only dates casually. You just got out of a bad relationship. But it’s not like you were going to _marry_ the girl, Cassian. It was only five months.”

“Seven.”

“Okay, seven. But like, that’s high school, y’know? I dated someone in high school for seven months freshman year and we barely even kissed and I was terrified of her. Everyone thought we were _really serious_. Seven months is shit.”

Cassian glared at him. Bodhi set his mug down and backed down.

“All I’m saying,” Bodhi continued, “is that I know Janey hurt you – ”

“Lainey.”

“Whoever, but that doesn’t mean you can’t move on and heal, even if it’s just a couple weeks later. Sometimes the right person comes along right away; sometimes it takes several years. You just never know. Don’t let something pass you by just because you _think_ you’re not _supposed_ to this, that, or the other. That’s ridiculous.”

“Fine.” Cassian pulled his phone out and tapped on Jyn’s text thread. He’d agreed to talk, but they hadn’t specified a time yet. 4:00? “There,” he said as he put the phone away. “You happy?”

“Depends. If this barista agrees to remake this poor excuse for a café au lait, perhaps. If not, I will be very grumpy the rest of the day.”

\---

Kay was absorbed in _He’s Just Not That Into You_ when Jyn knocked on the door, and ignored both her and Cassian as Cassian led her back to his room to talk. He shut the door and hovered by it, while she sat stiffly on the end of his bed and looked around, taking it in. Finally, Cassian couldn’t stand it any longer.

“So, uh, you wanted to talk?” he said.

She looked down at her lap. “Yeah. Look, I just wanted to tell you that I can’t do the casual thing with you. So…that’s that.”

Cassian crossed his arms. He hadn’t expected it to be an easy talk, but he also hadn’t expected it to just…implode. _World record for you,_ he thought acidly. _This wasn’t even a relationship before you blew it up._

“I don’t want to be casual with you, either,” he replied. She wasn’t looking at him still, but he could tell his words stung her. He hadn’t meant them to; his point was that he didn’t want to be a casual fuck, or even a fuck buddy. He wanted to be something more, despite all his words about not wanting another relationship. But he knew she wasn’t interested in relationships, and he wanted to make it clear that that was okay. He just didn’t want this to be _nothing_ when he wanted it to be _something_. Better to end it now.

“Okay,” Jyn said, her voice small. She got up from the bed and headed toward the door. “Glad that’s over, then. You don’t want anything from me, and I don’t want anything from you. Easy.”

Cassian moved to block her exit. “Now wait a minute, I didn’t say _that_ ,” he corrected. “I said I can’t be _casual_ with you. I’d love to have this be something more, but…you’re not exactly interested.”

Jyn finally looked him in the eye, and she frowned. “Who said I wasn’t interested?”

Cassian felt words leave his brain. “But…you did. Just a minute ago.”

“No, I said I can’t be _casual_ with you.”

“Right, meaning – ”

“Meaning I don’t want to just have sex with you and have that be it.” She turned toward him, putting her back to the door. “Is that…what you want, too?”

Relief flooded Cassian so hard, he nearly fell back against his dresser. His arms fell to his sides. “Yeah, I mean… I was afraid you only wanted a casual fling with me.”

Jyn began to smile. “It’s been a long time since I’ve wanted anything other than that with someone.”

“It’s been a long time since I haven’t fucked a relationship up, so you’d better be sure this is the Christmas present you asked Santa for.”

Jyn stepped up to him and linked her arms around his neck. “Christmas present?” she asked, voice low and tinged with innuendo. “Are you going to fill my stocking, too?”

“Not with that kind of talk,” Cassian said as he ran his hands down her arms. “That’s a hard-on-killer.”

She kissed him, and they made their way over to his bed, each pulling the other. They wound up with her on the bottom and him pushing her coat off.

“You know, I figured out the thing about the reindeer,” Cassian said as he sucked a spot below her ear. His hand drifted down below her skirt and up again, between her legs. “They don’t need the bathroom. It’s Christmas magic.”

“Sexy,” Jyn said as she parted her legs. “God, that makes me wet. Tell me more, Cassian, tell me about the reindeer!”

“I told you I’m a shit boyfriend.”

“Yeah, but you fuck like the dickens.”

“Oh, _shit_ – ”

“ _Charles_ Dickens.”

“Goddammit, Jyn.”

He was just about to reach up to push her sweater out of the way, but the door to the apartment shut suddenly, and his head jerked up.

“What was that?” Jyn asked. “Did Kay just leave?”

Cassian shook his head. “Kay isn’t allowed out on his own.” He got up from the bed, readjusted his jeans to hide his hard-on, and crossed to his door. Jyn was right behind him. When they got out to the living room, Cassian’s eyebrows went up.

“Kay,” he said. “Want to introduce us to your new friend?”

“I would have,” Kay replied, deadpan, “but I assumed you were fornicating.”

Cassian flushed. “I take it you’re Maeve?”

The girl on the couch next to Kay was thin, tall, and had straight red hair past her shoulders. Her bangs were cut straight across, she was pale, and she had a big smile on her face. “Yes!” she said. “It’s nice to meet you! Kay is so honest about you!”

“Yes, well.” Cassian straightened his sweater. “Don’t believe everything you hear.”

“Who are you?” she asked Jyn.

“I’m Jyn,” she said cautiously. “Cassian’s girlfriend.”

Cassian felt a swell of pride at being claimed by her, at having a girlfriend again.

“They were fornicating,” Kay put in, leaning slightly closer to Maeve.

Maeve wrinkled her nose. “Ew, gross.”

“Not really,” Jyn said. “You ever tried it? Messy, sure, but – ”

“We’re going,” Cassian interrupted, grabbing her hand and pulling her through the living room. “Uh, enjoy your time together. What are you…doing…exactly…?”

“Kay is going to build a computer program,” Maeve started excitedly as she nearly bounced on the sofa, “and put in some incorrect scripts, and then he’s going to time me to see how long it takes to find all of them.” Her face lit up with glee. Jyn and Cassian exchanged a glance.

“Sounds fun,” Jyn said. “We’re probably going to have sex at some point.”

 _“Jyn!”_ Cassian hissed.

“Of course,” Kay said in annoyance as he threw his hands up. He looked at Maeve and shook his head. “Heathens, both. You remember how I told you about how Cassian _stole_ my project partner from me.” With an admonishing look at Cassian he said, “We’ve been texting.”

Cassian held his hands up. “I’ve been very naughty this year. I’m sorry. No Christmas presents for me.”

Jyn took his hand. “Let’s just go.”

As soon as they left the apartment and the door had shut behind them, Jyn pushed Cassian up against it and kissed him, a smile on her lips. “Merry Christmas, Cassian.”

“Mm,” he replied as he kissed her back. He had never felt this happy, especially around the holidays.

“Wanna go back to my place and I can give you your present?” Jyn asked.

“I would be delighted.”

She chuckled and pulled him away. He gladly followed.

**Author's Note:**

> YAY it's that time of year again!! Ho ho ho!!! Follow me on [tumblr](https://thestarbirdfromtheashes.tumblr.com) for updates on my WIPs and lots of RebelCaptain content!! Happy Holidays!!! <3


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